Riverdale season 2 spoilers: Jughead death CONFIRMED with major character’s shock arrival?

RIVERDALE season two’s penultimate episode made the shocking decision to seemingly kill fan-favourite Jughead Jones, and now one theory could confirm the character’s exit with the introduction of two highly-anticipated characters in the season finale.

Fans of the CW’s hit series Riverdale were left utterly devastated at the end of episode 21, titled Judgement Night, last week.

The nail biting instalment not only saw the Ghoulies come back to town with a vengeance but Hal Cooper (played by Lochlyn Munro) finally revealed himself to be the masked killer the Black Hood.

Jughead (Cole Sprouse) then made the ultimate sacrifice and gave himself over to Serpent Penny Peabody (Brit Morgan) and rival gang the Ghoulies.

The writer found time to make a heart-wrenching final phone call to his girlfriend Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), and the blonde instantly knew something was up, as he told her he would “always love her”.

But her panicked warning to Jughead’s father FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich) sadly didn’t come in time.

Riverdale season 2 in pictures: Is Jughead dead? Storyline so far.

The theory is the cryptic tease from the show’s bosses has been in place for a while, and will coincide with Jughead’s funeral.

FP made reference to the rest of his family a while ago, promising his sceptical son he would bring the whole clan back together for good.

But with the pair so far nowhere to be seen and the town’s dire circumstances only getting worse, Jellybean and her mother could return for a big event in the finale instead.

If the unthinkable happens and everyone’s favourite beanie-wearing character dies, it would certainly make sense for the entire family to return for the funeral and band together in their grief during the show’s upcoming episodes.

NETFLIX

Riverdale: Jughead may survive but will Jellybean return?

FP and Alice Cooper (Madchen Amick) have also been growing closer, so without the added complication of their individual children’s relationship, they might finally give in to their sizzling chemistry.

What’s more, Molly Ringwald is set to return as Archie’s mother Mary Andrews, so is Riverdale set for a shift in focus as the parents finally get more screen-time over their young counterparts?

Kevin Keller (Casey Cott) also made a point of praising “Riverdale’s Hot Dads” in the latest episode, when FP, Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) and Sheriff Keller (Martin Cummins) rescued those trapped in Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe.

With Jughead’s mother and Jellybean set to explode onto screens regardless, even if the former survives season three is set for plenty more drama in Riverdale.

Riverdale season two concludes Wednesday on The CW in the US and follows on Netflix Thursday Morning.